P5: Sanguine Days
by Azalares
Summary: Being a phantom thief? Simple. Being the leader of the Phantom Thieves? Easy. Being a high school transfer student with a criminal record? Not so much.
1. Chapter 1

_Thanks to a good friend of mine, I was inspired to write a Persona 5 fic of my own._ _I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this but it will contain loads of fluff and potential spoilers of the game._

 _Reviews are not necessary, but greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5 in any way, shape, or form._

* * *

 **Chapter One**

* * *

"Hey hey, that's him, isn't it? The transfer student?"

"I heard he killed someone."

"I thought it was an assault charge."

"Doesn't he kind of freak you out?"

"Why did the school let him transfer here?"

"Oh, crap, he's looking this way!"

Skittish girls and boys scurried to the sides of the hallway, all eyes on one particular student. A pathway in the sea of awkwardness was formed for the lone person of gossip to traverse. At sixteen years old, Kurusu Akira was the most infamous student at Shujin Academy ever... and he'd been attending there for less than a month. Despite his fairly good behavior (immediately getting on Kamoshida's bad side excluded), speculations about his expulsion from his old school continued to circulate, much to his chagrin. The rumors changed on a daily basis—sometimes they were exaggerated or blown way out of proportion, while other times were ridiculously and hilariously implausible.

Nevertheless, none of them bothered to learn the truth because no one wanted to approach him.

A vocal sigh escaping his lips, Akira steeled himself against the incessant mumbling and ventured onward. His destination: the library. Classes ended not too long ago so he had plenty of time to kill. He figured it wouldn't hurt to get some studying done before heading home to Leblanc. He had asked Ryuji if he wanted to accompany him but the blonde hastily declined, fleeing almost instantly at the mention of studying. This left the transfer student alone with literally no one who wanted to talk to him.

Akira slid the back door of the library open, drawing attention from students sitting at nearby tables. As soon as they saw who the newcomer was, their faces blanched and snapped their eyes back to whatever book or paper lay in front of them. The deafening silence loomed heavy in the air as he sauntered over to the cubicles on the opposite side. The corner cubicle was conveniently available to claim for himself. Hanging his book bag off the back of the chair, Akira pulled out his textbook from class, flipped to that day's lecture topic, and began taking notes.

"I-Is he really studying here?" someone whispered.

A light scoff came from another. "I bet he's plotting something."

"Does he actually care about his grades?"

"Who knows?"

"He's making it hard to study..."

And thus the discourse of the transfer student carried on.

Akira did his best to ignore them, but even he couldn't help but tighten his jaw when the student in the adjacent cubicle gathered his belongings and moved to the desk two seats away. A bubble of solitude surrounded him. Even though he suspected this would be the obvious outcome, it didn't make him feel any better. It was times like these that made him wonder why he even bothered to linger around after school. At least at Leblanc he wouldn't be judged (as much), even if that meant staying cooped up in the dusty attic that was his room.

Another sigh escaped him. Living a "normal" life could be so tiring sometimes.

He jolted when the chair to his left was pulled backwards, a female student casually occupying the cubicle. A prim and properly worn uniform. Jet black hair reaching the middle of her back was pulled into a simple braid. Muffled music played through the earbuds resting in her ears. Without a single glance his way, she brushed side swept bangs out of her eyes and flipped her book open. Whether she was oblivious to his presence or she just didn't care, it was difficult to tell.

Turns out it was the latter, as his dumbfounded staring was what finally drew her attention to him a minute later. Tilting her head toward him, she removed one of her earbuds and raised a suspicious brow. Her brown eyes shimmered with certain mirth. "Yes?"

Akira snapped his eyes back to his unfinished notes, a faint blush dusting his cheeks for being caught. "Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to stare."

Instead of taking offense like he predicted, she giggled lightheartedly. "There's no need to apologize, Kurusu-kun."

Even more shocking, she knew his name.

Not "transfer student" or "delinquent".

His real name.

Time passed in silence, neither of them saying anything more. In his presence, she didn't make it awkward. No nervous fidgeting, no cautionary looks, no nothing. It was simply... _pleasant_. It was the first time he's felt like this since he befriended Ryuji. The tranquility was filled with rustling of pages and the occasional chuckle from the girl when she read an amusing passage in her book. Akira spared another glance her way, curiosity getting the better of him. There were plenty of other chairs available before either of them sat down. Why did she sit next to him? She must have done it on purpose, right?

Before his mental inquiries could be answered, both of them jumped when hands plopped onto the girl's shoulders. The grinning face of another female student beamed down on her, obviously a friend. "Sorry for making you wait, Ayame!" the friend apologized. "Ready to go?"

The girl named Ayame returned her grin. "Yep, let me pack my stuff." After placing her book in her school bag, she stood up and turned to Akira, the friendly smile presented to him as well. "See you later, Kurusu-kun."

Again, Akira did not expect to be acknowledged and lamely bid her a, "Y-yeah."

The suspicious look on her friend's face did not go unnoticed to the fledgling phantom thief. "Are you friends with him?" she asked Ayame, more audible than she probably intended. "You know he's dangerous."

"Oh, c'mon," Ayame dismissed her with a roll of her eyes. "There's so many different rumors you don't even know what's true from false." With cheery laughter, she pushed her friend out of the library and disappeared around the wall.

Akira was left with his jaw slightly agape. He saw it. She knew he knew he could hear them and mouthed a silent apology. A twitch of a smile appeared on his face as he returned to his work. He tapped the clip end of his pencil to his lips, his thoughts still lingering on the scene just moments before.

 _Maybe... not everyone thinks I'm a bad guy?_

* * *

The class representative of 2-C clapped her hands together, bringing attention to the lone female at the podium. "Everyone, remember to hand me your notebooks before you leave!" she announced to her classmates. "Sensei will not accept late work!"

A collective agreement in the form of groans echoed throughout the room. Her announcement successfully passed on, the class representative returned to her desk for clean-up. As soon as the last bell rang, the instantly rejuvenated students gathered around the chalkboard. They tossed their homework onto the wooden podium before escaping to their after-school activities. Albeit begrudgingly, it seemed everyone turned their notebooks in. Some even showed gratitude toward her since she volunteered to run this errand when no one else wanted to.

"Thanks, Hoshino!"

"We'll make it up to you, Ayame-chan!"

Stuffing her pencil case into her bag, Ayame waved a goodbye to her classmates. "See you tomorrow!" She gasped when a blur of black and yellow rushed past her but she was quick to react. "Ah, Sakamoto-kun!" The student in question froze, glancing over his shoulder. Narrowed brown eyes demanded to know why she stopped him. Ayame refused to hesitate. "Did you turn in your homework?"

Sakamoto tossed her an annoyed glare, which she suppressed the urge to flinch at, and turned back around. "Nope, didn't do it," he retorted before stomping out of the classroom.

"Should have known," she sighed, shaking her head. "Well, it didn't hurt to ask."

The last one in the class, Ayame strode up to the podium where a cluttered mess of journals greeted her. She blew bangs out of her eyes; they couldn't help her a little by stacking it neatly? After arranging the notebooks into one tall pile, she slowly eased the tower into her arms and began her journey to the faculty office. Her quest became increasingly difficult due to dodging careless classmates, who sometimes didn't hear her calls to make room for her. A group of girls decided to take their sweet time so she, as politely as possible, forced her way through.

Once she thought the worse was over, she sidestepped one last student at the corner of where she needed to turn only to slam face first into another. The sudden collision caused her to drop the notebooks, scattering them about the floor.

"Sorry!" she apologized, mentally cursing as she knelt down to collect the journals. "I should've paid more attention—"

It was then that she became aware the atmosphere shifted. Nearby students pressed themselves against the walls, whispering to their friends as they stared sympathetically at her. A curious reaction, but when she glanced to the person she bumped into, she knew the reason why. The delinquent transfer student, Kurusu Akira, gazed down at her, boring dark gray eyes into her being from behind big-framed glasses. She knew of him—everyone in school did—but only saw the guy in quick passing. Having initially believed the rumors, she and her friends did everything in their power to avoid him. Now that she had a good look at him, however, Ayame was at a loss for words.

Was this really the guy who assaulted a woman?

She didn't expect him to look so... _unassuming_.

"Uh oh. She bumped into him."

"You think she's gonna get hurt?"

"He won't do anything during school hours... or would he?"

"Scary... I'd start running if I was her."

The hushed conversations around her brought Ayame back to her current situation. Tuning out the noise, she set aside her thoughts to focus on gathering her classmates' homework. An arm extended out toward a workbook before she could reach it. The arm belonged to the transfer student, who had decided to assist her in the gathering. She did not refuse his help. Between both of their efforts, Ayame was in full possession of the notebooks in no time.

"Th-thank you for helping me," she said, flashing a small smile of gratitude behind the notebook tower.

In what seemed to be a sheepish manner, he twirled a lock of unruly bangs shadowing over his eyes. "It was my fault, too," he uttered softly. "Sorry." To hear him apologize was a bit of a shock to her, but it was too late to make a response. He walked away without another word.

Ayame stood in the hallway a moment longer, staring at his form growing increasingly smaller in the distance. With a genuine smile stretching across her face, she delivered the notebooks to her teacher before returning to the classroom to retrieve her belongings. As she was leaving the school, her mind reflected on the admittedly intriguing transfer student.

Not once during their interaction did she get the sense of foreboding. The aura he emitted—the purposeful way he carried himself through his actions, all the while ignoring the blatant gossip against him—didn't raise any red flags. Not to mention he was the only one who stopped to help her, even though she'd known the others much longer than him.

 _Kurusu Akira... perhaps I was wrong about him?_


	2. Chapter 2

_I've decided this is going to somewhat follow the canon events of the game, but with the main focus on the non-phantom thief life of Akira. Spoilers ahead._

 _Thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

A few days passed since meeting that girl from the library.

Apparently, her decision to sit next to Akira that one day was not a fluke, as it happened a few more times afterward. At their second encounter, she was already sitting at the same cubicle with the corner one available for him. Although they greeted each other with friendly smiles and nods, little was actually said between the two and they soon resumed their individual studies.

It had been a complete coincidence at that time. Akira was waiting for volleyball practice to end so he could gather more information on the deplorable and pathetic excuse for a man, Kamoshida Suguru. Ryuji, Akira's supposed partner in crime, was less patient. Declaring he was physically allergic to the library, he decided to do some reconnaissance of his own. Whatever form that ended up being, he hoped wouldn't get him in trouble. The phantom thief knew right off the bat that his friend was absolutely incapable of subtlety.

From their third meeting onward, Ayame was the first to break the ice, discussing trivial topics such as the weather or complaining about the amount of homework. Akira, in turn, gave his own opinions on the matter. Her reactions to his answers ranged from mirthful giggles to lighthearted bantering. All in all, the phantom thief found himself enjoying their brief little moments in the library.

After their most recent encounter, she jokingly dubbed herself his cubicle neighbor.

Akira later discovered her full name was Hoshino Ayame, and that she was Ryuji's classmate. Looking back on it now, he realized she was more than happy to become his second friend at Shujin, criminal record or not. Besides his fellow blonde-haired comrade, she was the only student in the whole school that even dared to say his name in public.

"Kurusu-kun!"

Just like she did now.

Briefly setting aside his plans to meet Ryuji in their secret base (i.e. the school's rooftop), Akira paused at the bottom of the stairs. Ayame approached him with a curt wave of her hand. "Glad I caught you in time," she said in a singsong voice. "You're friends with Sakamoto-kun, right?"

He stared at her with a raised brow. His was tone inquiring, underlying a strange suspicion he had in his stomach. "Why do you ask?"

She cast brown eyes downward, tapping her shoe against the floor as her cheeks dusted a light red. Curious. "I was wondering... do you think you can talk to him into turning in his homework more often?" Akira blinked, surprised at her bizarre request, but remained silent as she explained herself. "Apparently, Sakamoto-kun's lack of commitment makes our teacher seem incapable to the principal. Since I'm class rep, sensei wanted me to talk to him but I figured since you guys were friends—"

"It'd be easier if I can convince him instead," Akira concluded. She nodded her head with a sheepish grin, relieved he caught on to where she was heading. He found it endearing how embarrassed she looked.

 _Wait, what?_

Moving very far away those thoughts, the phantom thief paused to think about his answer before running a hand through his mess of dark hair. "I can try, but I make no promises." After all, Ryuji was one of the most obstinate people he's ever met.

Ayame giggled. "That's good enough for me."

"Hey, don't block the stairs!"

Both students stiffened at the booming voice that could only belong to Kamoshida, the Phantom Thieves' current target. Akira narrowed his steel gaze as the lecherous "king of the school" stormed up to them. When the man recognized who was in his presence, he glowered.

"Is this delinquent bothering you, Hoshino-chan?" he asked Ayame, standing closer to her as if to protect her. Akira did not miss the way she flinched when her name was said. Alas, his attention was preoccupied by the volleyball coach glaring vehemently at him. "Should've known you'd try to prey on weak, innocent girls. Leave her alone, you criminal."

Akira inwardly rolled his eyes. _That's rich, coming from you._

"H-he wasn't doing anything, sensei," Ayame quickly interjected, her demeanor shifting to a wide-eyed, anxious school girl. "I'm the one who accidentally bumped into him."

Kamoshida made a noise acknowledging he heard her but kept his gaze on the transfer student. She used his distraction to discreetly signal Akira with her hands—a repetitive sweeping motion. _Oh._ She wanted him to use this chance to escape before Kamoshida had more unpleasant things to say to him. With a begrudging bow to the arrogant teacher, Akira bounded up the stairs, only to stop at the middle landing between the two floors. He positioned himself just out of view but could still see both Kamoshida and Ayame. He listened in on their conversation.

"You know you shouldn't hang around someone like him, Hoshino-chan," Kamoshida frowned. "That guy's nothing but trouble."

 _Speak for yourself._

"Thank you for your concern, Kamoshida-sensei," Ayame responded in a rush. Although she wore the smile of a grateful student, the tightening of her fists against her skirt told Akira otherwise. "I will be more cautious from now on."

"You better," the sleazy man smirked, taking a step closer to her. "It'd be a shame if a pretty girl like you became tainted by trash like him." He reached out to touch her cheek, but she took a step back to avoid his hand.

"Don't worry, Kamoshida-sensei," she stated, firm resolve in her eyes as she kept her smiling facade. "I'll be sure to not be tainted by _anyone_."

With a half-assed bow, she hastily fled up the stairs, only to gasp from shock when she discovered Akira hadn't actually left. She held a hand over her heart, exhaling a shaky breath as she cast him a withering look. "You scared the hell out of me, Kurusu-kun!"

A quiet chortle escaped him but he did not offer an apology. "You alright?"

"I think I'll live," she pouted, puffing her reddened cheeks out. Her shoulders tensed when Kamoshida's obnoxious voice shouted at someone else in the hallway below them. When Akira glanced back at the girl, a frown marred her features. "What a jerk... acting like he's all high and mighty."

"It sounded like he knew you," he commented thoughtfully as they ascended the stairs.

"I guess you could say that..."

Her sentence trailed off into nothing. Noticing this, Akira tilted his head back. Ayame had stopped one step shy of reaching the third floor. Her hand held onto the railing, gripping tightly as if to keep from shaking. It seemed like she wanted to tell him something but held herself back. Her inner turmoil bothered him. His eyes narrowed, saying nothing as he turned his full attention to her. He waited for her to continue but when she shook her head. She waved off her previously dejected expression as she joined him on the third floor.

"What I meant to say is, my brother's on the volleyball team. Kamoshida knows me through association." Ayame clasped her hands behind her as she started walking towards the door to the library. "Anywho, this is where we part," Her signature grin returned to her face, giving one last farewell wave. "Remember to talk to Sakamoto-kun for me, okay? See you tomorrow, Kurusu-kun!"

Akira waved back but his line of sight of her was interrupted by some passing third-years. They all gave him judgmental looks. He was acutely aware of the whispering students talking about his and Ayame's budding companionship. He stole a concerned glance his friend's way but she had already disappeared into the library. At the very least, she didn't notice the new wave of rumors. That or she just didn't bother to care. If she wasn't going to make a big deal out of it, neither would he. As long as she didn't get hurt because of him.

Suddenly, he blinked, coming to a realization.

 _Oh, right. Ryuji's still waiting for me._

* * *

Ayame waited at the gate of Shujin Academy, two hands clutching her school bag in anticipation. She snapped her head up to the sound of murmuring voices becoming increasingly louder. The members of the volleyball team—bruised, battered, and in some aspects, broken—all stumbled their way down the stone steps. She respectfully sidestepped out of the way, unable to look at their completely exhausted, almost lifeless, gazes. It broke her heart to see them in such a sorry state.

This was getting out of hand.

The girl glanced back up to the entrance, where a boy with fringed black hair and a face very similar to hers came into view. A new bruise was forming on his left cheekbone and a white cloth bandage covered his chin. There was probably more but those were the ones she saw at the initial glance. Her frown deepened when she noticed he was also favoring his right leg. Another new injury courtesy of Kamoshida. Ayame bit her bottom lip to keep from asking questions she knew he would refuse to answer.

As her brother joined her at ground level, the smile he displayed wasn't sincere. Neither was hers.

"Sorry you had to wait, Sis," he mumbled softly. His eyes were half-lidded out of sheer exhaustion. "Practice ran later than expected."

"That's okay, Ayumu," she reassured him, ignoring the pain of her nails digging into her balled fists. "Let's just go home."


	3. Chapter 3

_Me: I like writing this story!_

 _Also me: *doesn't update for xx months*_

 _Inspiration for this story comes and goes, so I'll update whenever I can._

 _Anyway, thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews!_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

Akira passed Kamoshida in the hallway again. And again there was a silent exchange of disdainful glares from both parties. While he didn't make a scene, the lecherous man did mutter some insults at the phantom thief. Calling him a lowlife, claiming it was a mistake letting him be a student at their oh-so honorable school; it was nothing new. Of course, Akira never took it to heart. Besides, that greater-than-thou personality of Kamoshida's wasn't going to last much longer. he and Ryuji were confident in that.

After their most recent encounter at the start of lunchtime, Akira was on his way to meet his fellow phantom thief when the words of passing students caught his attention.

"Oh my god! Did you hear about that accident on the stairs?!"

Halting in his step, Akira curiously listened in on the girls' not-so-hushed conversation. "I heard, I heard!" one of them exclaimed. "A first-year slipped at the top of the stairs and crashed into a group of students! I hope they're all okay."

"I was there!" her friend gasped. "It was really scary to witness. None of them were seriously hurt except for Hoshino-san."

Akira's eyes widened at the familiar surname. _Hoshino?_

"Yeah, I heard sensei took Hoshino-san to the infirmary—"

He stopped listening then.

Without a second thought, Akira redirected his destination to the infirmary. His meeting with Ryuji would have to wait. Morgana was going to be angry with him but he could handle the cat's scolding. Besides, Ayame was his friend. If he didn't check on her before they entered Kamoshida's palace that afternoon, his full focus wouldn't be on the mission. Or so he told himself.

Ironically, his reputation helped provide an navigable path through the sea of students wanting to avoid him. The perks of being labeled a criminal, apparently. Arriving at the infirmary, Akira gave two respectful knocks on the door before letting himself in anyway. A half-closed curtain obscured his vision of the person on the bed, showing only the vague form of legs under a blanket.

"Hoshino," he called out to her quietly. "I heard what happened. Are you okay?"

A hand reached out and pulled the curtain back. It took him a moment to realize the person sitting on the bed wasn't his friend, but a boy he didn't know. Upon closer inspection, however, Akira noted the jet black hair and round brown eyes. If it wasn't for the bandage on his chin and bruise on his cheek (signs of a volleyball member), he looked exactly like Ayame. That's when it dawned on him. He recalled Ayame mentioning a younger brother in the same grade during one of their library conversations. He didn't make the connection that they were twins until now.

The boy's startled look lasted only a moment before he gasped in recognition. "Aren't you... Kurusu Akira? The transfer student?" When Akira nodded, he offered a friendly smile, one reminiscent of Ayame's smile but at the same time completely different. "Nice to meet you. My sister's told me a lot about you, Kurusu-kun," Ayame's brother commented. "She says you don't match what the rumors say."

Akira rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, thanks?" he responded lamely, causing the boy to chuckle.

"Ayumu!"

The two boys jumped and turned their attention to the door. Ayame held onto the wall, panting out of breath from having sprinted all the way here. Her expression was panic stricken as she stared at the boy no the bed. She was so focused on her brother that she paid Akira no heed.

Ayumu stiffened somewhat. "Sis—" He didn't get to finish before he was tackled into a hug. He tossed a dull look at Akira and sighed, patting his sister on the back. Apparently this wasn't the first time she fussed over him like this. "Ayame, I'm fine—"

"Like hell you are!" she scowled gripping her brother's shoulders. "How did you fall? It's your knee, isn't it?! I told you, you shouldn't be walking on it!" Ayumu squeaked when she ripped the blanket off of his body. One pants leg was rolled up and revealed an elastic brace compressing his knee. Ayame's frown deepened as she placed her hands on both sides of his face, almost too tightly. "Did you hit your head?" she continued her barrage of questions. "Do you have a concussion? What did the nurse say?"

"I'm _fine_!" Ayumu insisted, finally holding her at arms length away. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and happened hurt my knee again. No concussion, no serious injuries. It was all an accident." His eyes flitted to the one other person in the room, who watched the whole exchange with quiet mirth. He sighed, "Sis, you really need to stop. You're embarrassing yourself."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. She followed her brother's gaze, where they ultimately landed on Akira. She blinked in surprise, as if seeing him for the first time… which was probably the truth. Her direct beeline to the bed without a single glance his way told the phantom thief just how worried she was for her brother. At least she finally acknowledged his presence. "Oh, hi, Kurusu-kun. When did you get here?"

Akira held back his amusement as Ayumu planted his face in the palm of his hand. "He was here before you, Sis," he drawled. A certain epiphany dawned on his face because he displayed a toothy grin. "He must've thought it was _you_ who was injured."

The bespectacled teen shot the brother a questioning look— _why's he grinning like that?_ —but before either he or Ayame could reply, a girl entered the infirmary. Akira gave her a cursory glance over. She had bandages wrapped around her wrists and fingers, and wore a knee brace. Dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail and exhausted brown eyes; it was Suzui Shiho, Takamaki Ann's best friend, if memory serves. She was also part of the volleyball team.

"Sorry to intrude," she apologized quietly.

Ayumu's eyes widened, his cheeks blooming into a deep red. "S-Suzui!" he sputtered nervously as he struggled to sit up straight in the bed. He also casually shoved his sister out of his personal space. "H-how—? Why—?"

"Mishima told me what happened," Shiho replied, moving to sit on the metal stool adjacent to the bed. Her hands folded gracefully in her lap. "Are you alright?"

The younger Hoshino displayed a bravado that was lacking just a moment earlier. "Yup! I'm totally fine!" he exclaimed with a confident grin. As if to reassure her, he (very lightly) patted his knee. "See? It's not a big deal."

"He's lying," Ayame sang nonchalantly. "He just doesn't want Suzui-chan to worry." Akira smirked as she proceeded to ignore the sharp stare from her twin by readjusting her uniform.

Shiho giggled softly at the siblings. "Thanks, Hoshino-kun. But please don't overdo it."

It was the first time Akira had ever seen the girl smile genuinely. To him, she always looked so despondent, despite the facade she wore in front of Ann. Still, she was sweet and kind; she was one of the very rare students who didn't believe the many rumors flying about him. Unfortunately, she was unable to offer information about Kamoshida's shady actions with the volleyball team. So into his thoughts, he almost missed the tugging on his sleeve, courtesy of Ayame. A smirk on her lips, Ayame motioned for them to quietly leave the infirmary. Glancing back to her brother and Shiho, he understood then.

"Your brother likes Suzui," Akira stated firmly once they were in the hallway.

"Very much so," Ayame chuckled, leaning against the wall. "But he's too shy to do anything about it." An brief silence fell between the two of them. Akira was content with the silence until he noticed Ayame fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. She looked up, realized he was staring back, and diverted her eyes toward the ground. _Interesting._ "Kurusu-kun, is it true?" she began, causing him to tilt his head. "That… you came to the infirmary because you thought it was me who was injured?"

Again, his steely gray eyes caught hers, wide and full of nervous anticipation. For once, he didn't have a prompt reply. For such a simple answer, he was having trouble saying yes. He needed to say something before things get real awkward. Ignoring the quickened pace of his heartbeat, Akira reached up to twirl a lock of his ruffled bangs and mumbled a very quiet, "Maybe."

* * *

Who would've thought she'd see the usually composed Kurusu Akira looking bashful?

He lowered his head and pulled at his bangs while giving her a cheeky answer. Ayame knew he only did that whenever he felt nervous about something. He managed to hide it well, but she knew otherwise, and that caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach. The idea of her criminal-labeled friend rushing to the infirmary for her sake brought a pleasant smile to her lips. A smile that remained for the rest of the day.

That is until classes ended.

After giving her report to the student council, Ayame returned to her classroom to collect her things. Since her brother couldn't attend volleyball practice, they were able to go home early. With bag in hand, she headed for the gates, where her brother waited.

"Hoshino-chan~!"

 _Shit._

She wanted to keep walking, but ignoring the creep could be bad for her (and her brother) in the long run. Ayame stiffly turned around and forced a bow of respect. "Hello, Kamoshida-sensei."

Kamoshida stood in front of her, hands on his hips and eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Your brother isn't at practice," he stated, almost accusingly. "Where is he?"

Ayame took a step back, fear and confusion slowly seeping into her. There were many other students at practice. Why did he track her down just to ask about Ayumu? "My brother is in the infirmary," she answered calmly. "His knee was in pretty bad shape after the accident at lunch."

"Is that so?" he scoffed before sighing in disappointment. "If he can't handle a small injury like that, he's of no use to the team."

Ayame gripped her bag so tightly it was a miracle the handle didn't merge with her body. She could tolerate his offensively lewd comments about her, but there was no way in hell she was going to let him belittle her own brother _to her face_. "Being unable to walk isn't a 'small injury', sensei," she snapped. "The nurse was the one who instructed he skip practice and rest."

The horrible man blinked in surprise at the sudden sharpness in her voice. She was hoping he would back off but it only urged him to run his mouth even more. "Ah, I see you're upset. I'm sorry, Hoshino-chan. I was being insensitive. Of course I want my precious student to have a successful recovery—"

 _He's so full of crap._

"—In the meantime, why don't you be his substitute?" Licking his lips suggestively, Kamoshida eyed her up and down. She suppressed a grimace from forming. Every time he looked at her, she could feel a cold shiver run up her spine. "Come to think of it, you have the ideal body to join the volleyball team," he continued as he placed a hand to his chin in thought. "Whaddya say?"

"No," was her immediate response but quickly amended, "Thank you for your consideration, but I'm simply too busy with student council and my clubs to join a sports team."

"Aw, that's a shame." Ayame couldn't help but feel his disappointed tone was an attempt to make her feel guilty. As if that would happen. "I really think you could be a great asset." Her heart leapt to her throat when he suddenly bent forward, his roaming eyes leveled with hers. "Will you at least consider it, Hoshino-chan~?" The girl inwardly sighed in relief when someone caught the teacher's attention and he backed away. Ryuji stood a little ways away, hands in his pockets and scowling. Kamoshida clicked his tongue. "Sakamoto, huh? Did you want something?"

"Not from you," the blonde snapped and used his chin to point to Ayame. "With her."

Kamoshida kept his glare steady on the former track star as he stepped in front of him, trying to use his taller height as an intimidation tactic. That was clearly ineffective, much to the satisfaction of the two students. "Watch yourself, Hoshino-chan," he eventually said before walking away. "Hanging around has-been trash isn't good for you."

Ryuji's nostrils flared with rage. "What was that?!" he growled but received no answer. To take out his anger, he kicked at the wall. "Asshole!"

Now that the disturbing teacher was gone, Ayame felt like she could finally relax. She offered her savior a grateful smile. "Thank you, Sakamoto-kun." Her smile widened when he turned to her with a look of surprise, as if remembering she was also present. "Unfortunately, I think I might've gotten you into more trouble."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Like it matters with that sleaze bag."

"So, what was it you needed, Sakamoto-kun?" she asked amicably.

"Huh? Oh, I didn't need anything." Ryuji scratched his cheek sheepishly when she tilted her head in confusion. Was that a little blush she saw? "I was on my way out when I saw him harassing you. Bastard doesn't even hide how much of a prick he is." She knew he wasn't as bad as everyone thought. Before Ayame could respond with another thank-you, Ryuji waved her a goodbye. "I gotta go meet up with Akira. See ya, Hoshino!"

Ayame shook off her dumbfounded expression and hastened her pace to the school entrance. Once she reunited with her brother, the two started their journey home. On the other side of the street, she spotted Ryuji. Next to him, a taller student with an unruly mess of black hair and glasses. She stopped for only a second, just enough to see the bespectacled teen smile brightly. Ryuji said something amusing because Akira chuckled and nudged him.

A frown pulled at her lips.

Why couldn't he smile and laugh like that in front of her?


End file.
